


Nothing is Dearer

by sparkinglovingheart



Series: Loved You Yesterday, Love You Still [6]
Category: Marvel, Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Age Play, Age Regression/De-Aging, Bedtime Stories, Cuddling & Snuggling, Daddy kink i guess?, Disney Movies, Father Figures, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, Non-Sexual Age Play, Panic Attacks, Pet Names, Stuffed Toys, Thumb-sucking, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, but it really only kinda sorta applies to steve and even then not really, mental age regression, mentions of Chthon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-14
Updated: 2015-10-14
Packaged: 2018-04-26 08:13:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4997332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparkinglovingheart/pseuds/sparkinglovingheart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wanda's had three fathers in her life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nothing is Dearer

**Author's Note:**

> Those who already read the main fic in this verse, proceed ahead. Those who haven't, some clarification-Erik is the biological father of the twins, he gave them up for adoption to Django Maximoff and his wife, they died in the apartment bombing, years later Steve is Wanda's adoptive dad and Erik has come back into the lives of the twins. 
> 
> This is crappy but I REALLY wanted to write it and it seemed like a good idea at the time, so what the hell. It's also short, but not short enough to be a drabble.

Django Maximoff held his daughter’s hand. At eight years old, she was too small for her age, partly in due to malnourishment, and partly due to the fact that she seemed to shrink whenever she was afraid. She was definitely frightened now, staring at the graffiti plastered on a brick wall nearby. It depicted scenes of bloodshed and terror, things that she saw every day but were no less terrifying there. She looked up at him fearfully, “Dad…”  
  
“Don’t look at that, draga. It’s just a picture.”  
  
“I don’t like it.”  
  
“I know. I know,” he said soothingly, “Come on love, we’re going home.”  
  
Wanda’s eyes had grown wide and she was looking around frantically, “I’m scared. I can see the fire monster again. He’s going to come and hurt me. I don’t want to-”  
  
“Shhh, Wanda,” he knelt so they were at eye level, “It’s alright my darling. Remember, we talked about how the monster isn’t real.”  
  
“It _is_ real!” she yelled, drawing the attention of a few passerby, “And he’s going to take me to his mountain and kill me and Pietro!”  
  
A neighbor named named Maireni threw them a dirty look and muttered something to her husband, who nodded in agreement. Django decided not to let his anger get the better of him and  started to walk home, “You cannot shout things like that.”  
  
“But he is!” she was screaming now, “I see him, I know he’s there!”  
  
“Darling, it’s just your imagination,” he said half heartedly, “And even if the monster was real, which it is not, I would not let it hurt you or your brother. There is nothing to be afraid of.”  
  
Wanda fell to the ground and started to sob in earnest. It was cold and raining, the dampness on the ground soaked through her dress. Her knees scraped on the gravel so she started to bleed, but she didn’t seem to take any notice. Sometimes it seemed like these strange little gifts of hers made her numb to the rest of the world.  
  
Django picked her up, trying not to cringe at how light she was. Wanda rested her head and her father’s shoulder and started mumbling out apologies.  
  
“Shhh. Don’t say sorry. It’s okay, Wanda. It’s okay. I’m here.”  
  
“I-I just can’t-”  
  
“I know you can’t help it. I’m not angry, draga. Not at all.”  
  
“Promise?”  
  
“I promise,” he kissed the top of her head, “Nothing’s going to hurt you, Wanda. I’ll never let anything hurt my dearest girl.”  
  
Wanda motioned for him to set her down as they walked home, so he just held her hand again and prayed that it would be enough.  
  
  
  


 

Steve Rogers let his daughter climb into bed with him on nights when she was afraid. And that wasn’t a bad thing at all, because quite honestly he didn’t like being alone at night and Wanda could be an extremely comforting presence. Snuggling with an affectionate witch and her stuffed cat was better than his former attempts to self medicate with Thor’s Asgardian liquor.  
  
Wanda pushed the door to his bedroom open almost hesitantly and whispered, “Dad? Can I sleep with you?”  
  
“Come here, sweetie,” he held his arms out and let her run to him and curl up on his chest, “Did you have a nightmare again?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“You want to talk about it?”  
  
“No,” she put her thumb in her mouth, “I just want to be with you. And I brought Lorna. She had to come with.”

“I’m glad she did. She’s a good cat,” Steve ran his fingers through her hair, “You’re shaking.”  
  
“I can’t help it,” she mumbled, “Can you tell the story about you and Bucky and the cats?”  
  
“For the millionth time?” he didn’t mention that telling that story was yet another comfort to him, “Well, we used to live in this apartment building and a few stray cats would hang around outside-”  
  
“And you named them Stan, Jack, Edward, Betsy, and Rachel.”  
  
“Bucky told me those were the dumbest names for a cat he’d ever heard. But he went with it. We used to leave food out for the cats, and they would keep coming back. Same time every night. When we left for the army, I asked our neighbor if she would keep watching them while we were away.”  
  
“And she did.”  
  
“Yeah,” he smiled, “Years later I went back and said hi to her, and she told me that she took care of them, and all the kittens they had afterwards. The end.”  
  
Wanda snuggled closer to him, “I love that story. Thank you for telling it.”  
  
“Thanks for listening,” he yawned, “Ready to try and get some sleep now?”  
  
She blinked, suddenly looking worried, “I don’t want the dreams to come back.”  
  
“Aw, honey. If they do I’ll be right here to make it better, okay? You don’t have to be afraid. I won’t ever let anything hurt you.”  
  
“Promise?”  
  
“I promise,” he pressed a kiss to her forehead, “I love you, Wanda. I’m so lucky to be your dad.”  
  
“I love you too Dad,” she murmured, “I hope you have happy dreams.”  
  
Steve knew that Wanda’s nightmares made frequent appearances, and he wasn’t counting on her definitely having a peaceful sleep the rest of the night. So he just held her close, thinking that it might be just enough.  
  
  


 

Erik Lensherr didn’t see his daughter grow up physically, but he held her on his lap anyways. Pietro was an adult in every way, he acted like it, he most definitely looked twenty one. But even if he and Wanda were twins, Erik got a bit more of a chance with his daughter to do all the things fathers were supposed to do with their children. The way she dressed made her look a little younger too, but that wasn’t exactly on purpose-she just liked fluffy pink dresses and bows in her hair.  
  
So Erik bonded with his son as a friend, did all the things he had expected them to do together. But he played with Wanda, read her stories, brushed her hair, and shushed her when she was crying and scared in his arms. And it should have felt strange, but he cherished it.  
  
“Erik,” Wanda tapped on his shoulder and broke him out of his thoughts, “It’s the best part.”  
  
He laughed, “You said it was the best part when the fairy godmother gives her a dress.”  
  
“Well, this is the _other_ best part.”  
  
“Right. The man hears her singing and then the prince finds her and they live happily ever after. How many times have we watched this?”  
  
Wanda ignored that and just said, “It’s the best movie ever. One time Tony was watching me and we watched another movie and I hid under my bed because it was really scary. There was someone with a scary mask and-”  
  
“Oh God. I wonder how he’s still alive.”  
  
“Daddy got really mad at him. But I told him it was okay.”  
  
_Daddy_. Erik shifted uncomfortably. He wasn’t jealous of Steve, and if he was, he wouldn’t admit it. But he _did_ resent the fact that he was probably never going to get to hear Pietro or Wanda call him dad. Especially when moments like this, cuddling in a blanket fort, eating candy and watching movies just made him almost forget that he wasn’t their parent on a daily basis instead of somebody who just made frequent visits.  
  
“Erik,” Wanda said to him again, “You can pick the next one.”  
  
“The…oh yes,” he blinked, “Um, how about that one with the mermaid?”  
  
“Ariel. I love her!” she handed him the disc so he could slide it into the drive, “Thanks for watching with me. This is fun. It’s like a sleepover. Have you ever had a sleepover?”  
  
“No, I can’t say I have.”  
  
“Me neither, but it sounds like fun. Hey, maybe you should stay and have a sleepover.”  
  
Erik winced, “Oh, sweetheart. I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“Um…” he fumbled for an explanation she would understand, “I, uh, have some flowers at home that I need to water. And they’ll be sad if I don’t.”  
  
“Oh, I understand. Maybe another time.”  
  
“Yes, maybe.” It didn’t feel great to lie to her, but it was better than some half assed explanation about why things were still super awkward between him and the rest of her family. Not to mention the fact that things with him and Pietro had only just started to get better and he didn’t want to push it too far so soon.  
  
Wanda sucked her thumb and stayed silent for most of the movie unless she was quietly singing along to a song she particularly liked. Erik tried and failed to focus on the story of the mermaid. His mind was now flooded with guilt and unhappiness. How could spending time with his child, an activity he loved, make him so miserable?  
  
He needed to get a grip. He needed to stop being so self centered and-  
  
“Erik,” Wanda turned around and suddenly kissed his cheek, “I love you.”

He froze in shock for a few seconds before the words really hit him and his heart melted. Smiling gently at his daughter he held her close and rocked her gently, “I love you too, my little one. I have always loved you so much.”  
  
“Really? Always is a long time.”  
  
“Yes. Too long to be apart.”  
  
Wanda leaned into his arms and said nothing more. Erik stroked her hair, kissed her face, held her close, murmured that he loved her, he loved her so much, because she was his beautiful little girl and nothing would ever change that.  
  
It was more than enough.

**Author's Note:**

> *pssst. your prompts make a lazy ass writer happy*
> 
> There's stuff I'm not willing to write, but you guys should be able to get a pretty good gauge on what I will do based on what I've already written.


End file.
